Saturday, 5 December 2009

PRE-ORDER: Pinch Ft. Yolanda – Get Up [Tectonic]

It’s pretty safe to say that ‘Get Up’ is a dubstep classic. The vocal version with sometime Massive Attack collaborator Yolanda first featured on the CD release of Pinch’s debut album ‘Underwater Dancehall,’ but it never reached vinyl much to the disappointment of many. But proving that good things do come to those who wait, two years later the world gets a vinyl release with the original vocal alongside a dub version as well as a splattering of quality remixes from: RSD, Guido, Jack Sparrow and LV.

The original vocal and dub by Pinch uses smooth and rolling drum patterns, pulsing bass and dancehall dub accents to play off the soulful vocals that makes it sound as fresh today as it was 2 years ago, with the timeless melancholy of the house diva vocals, here updated for the dubstep generation, shift along seamlessly with the emotive strings.

The remixes are on point too though the highlight of the bunch has to be from Bristol legend RSD. Rob Smith, one half of the production duo Smith & Mighty, brings his own wonderfully deep and warm soundsystem shaking bass lines, piano flourishes and a beat that simply makes you want to wiggle. Guido also provides a brilliant refix that somehow echoes house music’s hay-day and the new slinky, soul-infused instrumental funk of Bristol dubstep. The subtle boom-bap drums build a smooth groove before deep house chords take over and play off the vocals to make what sounds like a long lost 90s house hit that’s been left to mutate in Dr. Dre’s refrigerator.

Jack Sparrow takes his version deep into dubstep territory, designing it for big dark rooms with weighty systems, lacing it with huge bass pulses and a half-stepping beat that still has a bump to it. LV is the one that comes from a very different angle; his dub heavy disco version has plenty of rootsy vibes and the slinkiest smooth bass around and as always with LV productions, it grows on you in a subtle fashion.